News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-01-13
A TALK WITH SANTACLAUS
BY EUGENE FIELD.

One Christmas Eve Joel Baker was in
q most unhappy mood. He was lone
some and miserable; the chimes making
merry Christmas music outside disturb
ed rather than soothed him: the Jingle
of the sleigh bells fretted him, and the
shrill whistliGg of the wind around the
corners of the house and up and down
the chimney seemed to CRATE harshly on
his ears.
"Humph, said Joel, wearily, "Christ-
mas is nOthin' to me; there was q time
when it meant a great deal. but that
was long ago-ffty years is a long
stretch to look back over. There is
nothin' In Christmaa now, nothin' for
me at least; it is so long since Santa
Claus remembered me that venture to
say he has forgotten that there ever was
such person as Joel Baker in all the
world. 1t used to be different; Santa
Claus used to think a great deal of me
when | was a boy. All! Christmas
nowadays amt what it was in the good
old time no, not what it used to be-"
As Joel was absorbed in his distress
ing thoughts he became aware very sud
denly that somebody was entering or
trying to enter the room. First came n
draft of very cold air, then a scraping.
grating sound, then a strange shutting.
and then-yes, then, all at once, Joel
saw pair of fat legs and still fatter
body, dangle down the chimney, fol-
lowed presently by long, white beard,
above which appeared d jolly red nose
and two bright twinkling eyes, while
over the lead and forehead was drawn
fur cap, white with snowflakes.
'tHa, ha," chuckled the fat, iollv
stranger, emerging from the chimney
and standing well to one side of the
hearthstone; ''ha, ha, they don't have
the big, wide chimneys they used to
build, but they can't keep Santa Claus
out-no, they can't keep Santa Claus
Outl Ha, ha, ha. Though the chimney
were no bigger than a gas pipe, Santa |
Claus would slide down it!''
1t didn't require a second glance to |
assure Joel that the newcomer was in
deed Santa Claus, Joel knew the good
old saint-Oh, yes-and he had seen him
0nce before, and although that was
when Joel was little boy he had never
how Santa Claus looked
Nor had Santa Claus forgotten Joel. |
Joel thought he had, for now
Santa looked kindly at Joel and smiled
and said: MERRY Christmas to you,
Joelp'
THANK you. old Santa Claus, replied |
Joel, ''but l don't believe it's going to
be a very merry Christmas. It's been
so long since I've had a merry Christ
mas that don't believe I'd know how
to act if had one"
'Let's see,n said Santa Claus; sit
must be gong on fifty years since I saw
you last yes, you were eight years old
the last time l slipped down the chin
ney of the old homestead and filled your
stocking, Do you remember it,"
'T remember it WELL" answered Joel:
81 had made up my mind to lie awake
and see Santa Claus; I'd heard tell of
you, but I'd never seen you, and brother
Otis and concluded we'd lie awake and
watch for you to come"
Santa Claus shook his head reproach-
fully.
''That was very wrong, said he, 'for
I'm so scarey that if I'd known you BOYS
were awake I'd never have come down
the chimney at all, and then you'd have
had no presents"
''But Otis couldn't keep awake" ex
planned Joel. We talked about every-
thin we could think of, till father called
out to US that if we didn't stop talking
he'd have to send one of us up into the
attic to sleep with the hired man. So
In less than five minutes Otis was sound
asleep and no pinching could wake him
up. But 1 was bound to see Santa Claus.
aud don't believe anything would ave
put me to sleep. l heard the BIC clock
IN the sitting-room strike II, and had
begun wonderin' if you never were going
to come, when all of a sudden | heard
the tinkle of the bells around YOUR rein
deers neck. Then l heard the reindeer
prancIn' on the roof and the sound of
your 5leigh-runners cuttin' through the
crust and slippin' over the shingles. II
was kind O. scared and I covered nv
head up with the sheet and quiIts-only
! left q little hole so l could peep out
and see what was going on. As soon as
/ saw you l got over bein' scared-for
you were jolly and smilin' like, and you
chuckled as you went around to each
stockin and filed It up"
yes, l can remember the night, said
Santa Claus: Il brought you sled, did
n'tI?"
eyes, and you brought Otis one, too, y
replied Joel; ''mine was red and had |
Yankee Doodle painted in black let. |
ters on the side; Otis's was black and
had Snow Queen painted in gilt let
ters.
81 remember those sleds distinctly."
Eaid Santa Claus, 'for | made them
specially for you boys"
You set the sIeds up against the
wall, continued Joel, ''and then YOU
filled the stockin S.
There were six ofiem, as Irecollect," :"
said Santa Claus.
''Let me see, " said Joel. ''There was
mine, and Otis's, and Elvira's, and
ThankfuIs, and Susan Prickett's Susan
was our help, you know. No, there
were only five, and as / can remember
they were the biggest we could beg or
borrow of Aunt Dorcas, who weighed
nigh on to 200 pounds Otis and [
didn't like Susan Prickett, and we were
hopin' you'd put a cold potato in her
stockin'"
''But Susan was a good girl" remon-
stratcd Santa Claus. 'sYoG know I put
cold potatoes in the stockin's of boys
and girls only who are bad and don't
believe in Santa Claus"
cat any rate SAID Joel ''you filled
all stockin's with candy and pop corn
add nuts and raisins, and can remem-
Der you said you were afraid you'd run
out of popcorn balls before you got
around. Then you left each of us a
book. Elyira got the best one. which
was The Garland Of Friendship, and
had poems in 1t about bleeding hearts,
and so forth. Father wasn't expecting
anything, but you left him a new pair
of mittens and mother got a new fur
boa to wear to meetin'!"
'Of course" said Santa Claus, 81
never forget father and mother" "
'fWell, it was rs much as / could do
to lay still, . continued Joel, "for I'd |
been longin for a sled an the sight of
that red sled with Yankee Doodle /